Patrys Limited announced new data from a successful preclinical study that has shown its deoxymab antibody PAT-DX1 is able to slow tumour growth and increase survival in an animal model of pancreatic cancer. This study was conducted in the laboratory of Associate Professor Marina Pajic of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research (Garvan) and showed that twice weekly treatment with PAT-DX1 for 4 weeks (50 mg/kg weekly dose) reduced the growth of pancreatic tumours by 26% and increased median survival by 47% (19 days v 28 days, p < 0.005) (n=6 control, n=7 DX1-treated). PAT-DX1 has now been shown to significantly reduce tumour growth in multiple animal models of difficult-to-treat solid cancers including glioblastoma (brain cancer), triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and pancreatic cancer. Despite extensive efforts, pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with fewer than 25% of patients surviving their first year after diagnosis. Global pancreatic cancer deaths exceed 430,000 per annum, and limited effective therapeutic options mean that it is predicted to become the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the developed world by 2030. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two PARP inhibitors, olaparib and rucaparib, for the treatment of pancreatic cancer patients with mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. Like Patrys' deoxymabs, PARP inhibitors block the DNA Damage Repair (DDR) systems in cancer cells which are often already compromised by cancer-specific mutations. Patrys' deoxymabs bind to damaged DNA and are attracted to cancer which often releases damaged DNA into the bloodstream. The tumour heterogeneity of pancreatic cancer makes it difficult to develop traditional antibody-based therapeutics for the disease, and the FDA has yet to approve any antibodies for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Patrys believes that the high incidence of DDR mutations in pancreatic cancer make it a strong candidate for future development of deoxymab-based therapies.